NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes were slipping for the second day in a row Wednesday as banks and small-company stocks continue to take steep losses. Energy companies are falling as the price of oil slides. That’s canceling out gains for drug companies and household products makers.
KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,407 as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 43 points, or 0.2 percent, to 21,986. The Nasdaq composite fell 16 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,187. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks again did worse than the other major indexes. It retreated 5 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,366.
The S&P 500 is on track to finish May with a 1 percent gain. After a three-month losing streak last summer it has risen six out of the last seven months.
BANKS: Banks fell as investors worried that their revenue from trading stocks, bonds and currencies is going to weaken in the second quarter. Executives from JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America both spoke about that issue at industry events on Wednesday. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said trading revenue will fall 10 percent compared to a year ago.
The banking industry had an outstanding first quarter, and trading was a key reason for that. JPMorgan Chase fell $1.70, or 2 percent, to $82.20 and Capital One slumped $1.53, or 2 percent, to $76.75.
Goldman Sachs, which had a rare, weak first quarter, gave up $7.85, or 3.6 percent, to $210.57.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.20 percent from 2.21 percent. That also hurt banks, as lower bond yields force interest rates lower on loans, reducing banks’ profits from lending.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.23, or 2.5 percent, to $48.43 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, fell $1.32, or 2.5 percent, to $50.92 a barrel in London. Energy stocks continued to decline. Chevron sank 70 cents to $103.36 and Hess declined $1.10, or 2.4 percent, to $45.59.
FEELING BETTER: Some of the largest moves came from drugmakers. Pfizer rose 53 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $32.66 and Irish drugmaker Perrigo climbed $3.58, or 5.2 percent, to $71.50 after its first-quarter report was better than expected. Health care products maker Johnson & Johnson advanced $1.36, or 1 percent, to $128.47.
Household products companies also rose. Clorox gained $1.29, or 1 percent, to $136.2 and Kimberly-Clark, which makes Huggies diapers and Kleenex tissue, picked up $1.52, or 1.2 percent, to $130.49. Procter & Gamble, which makes Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, advanced 64 cents to $88.04.
KORS GETS CORED: Michael Kors Holdings said it will close up to 125 stores as its sales have remained weak. The luxury retailer said sales at older stores dropped in its latest quarter and investors were disappointed with its projections for the current quarter. The stock tumbled $3.55, or 9.8 percent, to $32.72. It last traded that low in February 2012.
HITTING RESET: Technology companies turned lower. The tech sector has reached its highest levels since the dot-com boom and companies like Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook have done far better than the rest of the market in 2017. Apple and Facebook are up 32 percent this year, and Alphabet is up 25 percent. Those companies slid Wednesday.
CURRENCIES: The dollar slipped to 110.67 yen from 110.78 yen. The euro rose to $1.1240 from $1.1188. The British pound rose to $1.2895 from $1.2813.
The pound was volatile after polls and surveys showed the general election on June 8 might be closer than expected. Early on, observers expected the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Theresa May to win in a landslide, but polls suggest the race could be close. May supports Britain’s exit from the European Union, and if she wins a smaller majority, it could hurt her side as Britain negotiates its departure from the union.
OVERSEAS: European stocks gave up an early gain. The DAX in Germany remained up 0.1 percent, but France’s CAC 40 lost 0.4 percent and the British FTSE 100 fell 0.1 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.1 percent and South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.2 percent. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong inched down 0.1 percent.